Afghan teenager reaches Delhi by hiding in plane’s landing gear

A 13-year-old Afghan boy risked his life by stowing away in the landing gear compartment of a Kam Air passenger aircraft that flew from Kabul to Delhi.

Officials said the teenager, who belongs to Kunduz in northern Afghanistan, was spotted wandering on the runway at Indira Gandhi International Airport after the aircraft landed on Monday.

He was immediately detained by Indian security agencies and interrogated for several hours before being flown back to Kabul on the same aircraft.

According to investigators, the boy admitted he climbed into the rear central landing gear compartment of Kam Air flight RQ-4401, which touched down in Delhi at around 11:10 am on Sunday. During questioning, he reportedly said he acted “out of curiosity.”

A spokesperson for the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) confirmed that the boy had slipped into Kabul airport undetected, followed a group of passengers, and managed to conceal himself in the aircraft’s rear wheel well. Police later spotted him moving alone on the runway and escorted him away for further investigation.

During a security inspection following the incident, airline staff discovered a small red audio speaker that the boy had been carrying. The Indian Express reported that he had originally intended to travel to Iran and was unaware that the flight he boarded was bound for Delhi instead of Tehran.

Stowaway cases have been reported globally, particularly involving flights to Europe and the United States, but survival is rare due to extreme cold and lack of oxygen at high altitudes. Experts note that those who do make it through are often unconscious by the time the aircraft descends, making them vulnerable to falling when the landing gear is lowered.

In one such case in 2022, a 22-year-old man from Kenya was discovered alive inside the wheel well of a cargo aircraft upon its arrival in Amsterdam.